Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of Matthew chapter 20 and the Gospel of John
chapter 11. The Gospel of Matthew chapter 20.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out early in the morning to hire laborers
for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with
the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them
into his vineyard. And he went out about the
third hour and saw others standing idle in the
marketplace and said to them, You also go into
the vineyard and whatever is right I will give
you. So they went. Again he went out about the
sixth hour and the ninth hour and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour he went out and found
others standing idle and said to them, Why have
you been standing here idle all day? They said
to him, Because no one hired us. He said to them,
You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is
right you will receive. So when evening had come,
the owner of the vineyard said to his steward,
Call the laborers and give them their wages,
beginning with the last to the first. And when
those came who were hired about the eleventh
hour, they each received a denarius. But when
the first came, they supposed that they would
receive more, and they likewise received each
a denarius. And when they had received it, they
complained against the landowner, saying, These
last men have worked only one hour, and you made
them equal to us who have borne the burden and
the heat of the day. But he answered one of them
and said, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did
you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what
is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this
last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful
for me to do what I wish with my own things?
Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the
last will be first, and the first last. For many
are called, but few chosen. Now Jesus, going
up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside
on the road and said to them, Behold, we are
going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will
be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes.
And they will condemn him to death and deliver
him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and
to crucify. And the third day he will rise again.
Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him
with her sons, kneeling down and asking something
from him. And he said to her, What do you wish?
She said to him, Grant that these two sons of
mine may sit, one on your right hand and the
other on the left in your kingdom. But Jesus
answered and said, You do not know what you ask.
Are you able to drink the cup that I am about
to drink and be baptized with the baptism that
I am baptized with? They said to him, We are
able. So he said to them, You will indeed drink
my cup and be baptized with the baptism that
I am baptized with. But to sit on my right hand
and on my left is not mine to give, but it is
for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.
And when Natan heard it, they were greatly displeased
with the two brothers. But Jesus called them
to himself and said, You know that the rulers
of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those
who are great exercise authority over them. Yet
it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires
to become great among you, let him be your servant.
And whoever desires to be first among you, let
him be your slave. just as the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life a ransom for many. Now as they went
out of Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
And behold, two blind men, sitting by the road,
when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried
out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of
David. Then the multitude warned them that they
should be quiet, but they cried out all the more,
saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David.
So Jesus stood still and called them, and said,
What do you want me to do for you? They said
to him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So
Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes,
and immediately their eyes received sight, and
they followed him. Now a certain man was sick,
Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her
sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed
the Lord with fragrant oil. Now Jesus loved Martha
and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard
that he was sick, he stayed two more days in
the place where he was. Then after this he said
to the disciples, Let us go to Judea again. The
disciples said to him, Rabbi, lately the Jews
sought to stone you, and are you going there
again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours
in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does
not stumble, because he sees the light of this
world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles,
because the light is not in him. These things
he said, and after that he said to them, Our
friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake
him up. Then his disciples said, Lord, if he
sleeps, he will get well. However, Jesus spoke
of his death, but they thought that he was speaking
about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to
them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and I am glad
for your sakes that I was not there, that you
may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.
Then Thomas, who is called the twin, said to
his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we
may die with him. So when Jesus came, he found
that he had already been in the tomb four days.
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles
away, and many of the Jews had joined the women
around Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning
their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard
that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but
Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said
to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died. But even now I know that
whatever you ask of God, God will give you. Jesus
said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha
said to him, I know that he will rise again in
the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said
to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He
who believes in me, though he may die, he shall
live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall
never die. Do you believe this? She said to him,
Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ,
the Son of God, who is to come into the world.
And when she had said these things, she went
her way and secretly called Mary, her sister,
saying, The teacher has come and is calling for
you. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly
and came to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into
the town, but was in the place where Martha met
him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house
and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose
up quickly and went out, followed her, saying,
She is going to the tomb to weep there. Then
when Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she
fell down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have
died. Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping and
the Jews who came with her weeping, he groaned
in the spirit and was troubled. And he said,
Where have you laid him? they said to him lord
come and see jesus wept then the jews said see
how he loved him and some of them said could
not this man who opened the eyes of the blind
also have kept this man from dying then jesus
again groaning in himself came to the tomb it
was a cave and a stone lay against it jesus said
take away the stone martha the sister of him
who was dead said to him lord by this time there
is a stench for he has been dead four days. Jesus
said to her, Did I not say to you that if you
would believe, you would see the glory of God?
Then they took away the stone from the place
where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted
up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that
you have heard me, and I know that you always
hear me. But because of the people who are standing
by, I said this, that they may believe that you
sent me. Now when he had said these things, he
cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
And he who had died came out bound hand and foot
with grave cloth, and his face was wrapped with
a cloth. Jesus said to them, loose him and let
him go. Then many of the Jews who had come to
Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed
in him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees
and told them the things Jesus did. And one of
them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year,
said to them, should perish now this he did not
say on his own authority but being high priest
that year he prophesied that jesus would die
for the nation and not for that nation only but
also that he would gather together in one the
children of god who were scattered abroad then
from that day on they plotted to put him to death
therefore jesus no longer walked openly among
the jews but went from there into the country
near the wilderness to a city called Ephraim,
and there remained with his disciples. And the
Passover of the Jews was near, and many went
from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover
to purify themselves. Then they saw Jesus and
spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple.
What do you think, that he will not come to the
feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees
had given a command, that if anyone knew where
he was, he should report it, that they might
seize him. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did and I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.